Iraqi PM orders daylight vehicle ban in Baghdad

Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki imposed a ban on all vehicle traffic today in Baghdad and the volatile Diyala province in an apparent effort to prevent reprisal attacks by suicide car bombers following the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The ban will be in effect from 11am to 3pm (local time) today in Baghdad and from 8pm to 6am for three days in Diyala, said Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Adnan Abdul Rahman.